empire comparisson

social 8 web page mrs.hall

this about comparing empires the spanish to british and the aztec to rome

Aztec vs rome

FALL of empires

Aztec

In 1519, the Spanish arrived on the shores of Central Mexico. The Spanish were led by Herando Cortes. They brought with them horses and weapons (canons and guns) that the Aztecs had never seen before. This caused great worry among the Aztecs. At the same time, a civil war began to rip apart the empire. The Aztecs were forced to fight many battles through out the empire. The cost of the civil war, and reduced amounts of tribute from conquered people and a famine all caused Moctezuma to demand more tribute from members of the empire.Tribute was kind of like a tax that was collected through out the empire. Unrest in the empire and the arrival of the Spanish signalled the end of the Aztec empire.

Rome

By A.D 161 cracks began to appear in the Roman Empire. Two main reasons that the empire began to collapse were problems with their boarder and political problems. The boarder was a problem because the size of the empire was so large there were not enough Roman soldiers to guard it from invading barbarians. These Barbarians were not willing to live peacefully under the rule of Rome. In the late 300s A.D many Barbarians entered the empire in order to escape the Huns who were invading from Asia. So now there were large numbers of Barbarians living in the empire who did not wish to follow Rome's rules. These people were also heavily armed and were able to reach deep into the Roman Empire. Rome was no longer as safe as it once was.Political problems also lead to the fall of the Roman Empire. From 193 A.D on many generals and politicians tried to gain control of the empire. Different parts of the army supported different generals. The military were promised more money for supporting various candidates. This caused problems because Rome did not have the money to give to the army. This lead to chaos in the empire and in the end the barbarians prevailed.

Agriculture

Aztec

Beginning in the 1300s the Aztecs’ moved to swampy, uninhabited land in Lake Texcoco. Here they learned how to adapt to the land. The first thing they figured out was how to use the swampy land for agriculture. They created gardens called Chinampas, which were narrow strips of land surrounded by canals. Soil and other compost material were piled over the reclaimed lake bottom. Aztec farmers grew a wide variety of vegetables such as; beans, corn, tomatoes, peppers, squash and cotton. The second thing the Aztecs did was to make use of all cultivatable land for growing food. Where the land was hilly the Aztecs terraced the lands. The third important factor behind the Aztecs success with agriculture was the system of irrigation that they were able to develop. They built dams to catch water and canals to move it to where it was needed.

Rome

The Romans developed better methods for plowing land using Oxen and plows. Like the Aztecs, the Romans understood how to improve the soil so crops could be grown successfully. One thing the Romans did that the Aztecs didn't was that they spent time breeding farm animals. By doing this, they improved the quality of the animals they were raising. Irrigation was also an important part of Roman agriculture. Like the Aztecs, Romans understood that water allowed crops to grow in ares that were normally were too dry. The Romans improved upon the Aztec system of dams and ditches to move water. They built massive aqueducts out of concrete that moved water great distances.

Army

Aztec

The Aztecs had no professional army but they did have professional military officers. All men were trained to be warriors. The Aztec's reputation of being fierce and brave warriors helped them maintain their empire. Like the Romans, they easily defeated opposing armies. The Aztec army fought to control the Valley of Mexico while, the Romans fought a variety of enemies throughout their empire. The Aztecs also wore fancy costumes or uniforms when they went into battle. They did not wear armor like the Romans did, but they did wear animal skins and leather. Both armies would use captured soldiers as slaves. The Romans would sometimes use them as gladiators to be sacrificed for sport. The Aztecs almost always sacrificed their captured enemies to their gods.

Rome

Both the Roman and Aztec Empires were built on military strength. The military achievements of the Roman Empire are well known. Their army was the most powerful and successful of all time. The Roman army was the first full time professional army in the world. Because they were so well organized, they were able to defeat much larger armies even though they were equipped with basically the same weapons. As the empire expanded, individuals from conquered lands joined the army and helped to protect the frontiers or borders of the empire. Generals from different parts of the Roman army fought for control of the Empire. The fighting between different members of the army caused unrest in the empire. Eventually this fighting would be one reason behind the fall of the Roman Empire.

Religion

Aztec.

The Aztec people thought that the gods controlled their very lives.All aspects of Aztec life revolved around religion. There were over 1000 Aztec gods many of whom represented forces of nature. The two most important gods were Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc. Huitzilopochtliwas the God of the Sun while Tlaloc was the God of Rain. The Aztec's allowed conquered tribes to keep its own religion, language, social structure and customs. The main four gods were Huitzilopochtli, Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcoatl, Tlaloc

Rome

The Romans at first were Latin and followed the Romen gods then they founded the Roman catholic church after the death of Christ. they didn't believe god controlled every aspect of their lives but they were still deeply religious.

Calenders

Aztec

The Aztec's had two calendars one used for time with 365 days it also helped with planting crop. the second one was used for planing religious festivity's both calendars used the sun

Rome

The Romens had a calendar also used for time and produce for time but they used the moon not the sun.

Warriors

Aztec

Every male born in the Aztec Empire received a certain degree of military training. This training was provided at a very early age, and it was the only way that a commoner could rise up to achieve a higher social status. Lower level Aztec warriors could rise up quickly if they captured enemy soldiers rather than killing them outright .Aztec warriors were broken down into two categories, and these were commoners who were given simple military training, and highly skilled warriors who were members of the aristocracy. The highly skilled Aztec warriors were known as Pipiltin, and they were much smaller in number than the commoners who comprised the bulk of the army. The elite Aztec warriors were placed in ranks based on their skill, and with regards to the achievements they had made on the battlefield.even if you were a commoner if you captured enough people you could join one of the warrior society's. the highest ranks are eagle and jaguar warriors but even higher are the shorn one. they also had otomies named after their tribe the mercenarys

Rome

Rome The first thing the soldiers were taught to do, was to march. The historian Vegetius tells us that it was seen as of greatest importance to the Roman army that its soldiers could march at speed. Any army which would be split up by stragglers at the back or soldiers trundling along at differing speeds would be vulnerable to attack. Hence right from the beginning the Roman soldier was trained to march in line and to keep the army a compact fighting unit on the move. more basic training included physical stuff like carrying heavy packs. next came weapons training they trained daily the weapons used were twice as heavy as the real ones. the highest ranks were legionnaires. centurions and the mighty praetorians.